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Westwood United Methodist Church | Everything in Between: Righteousness & Mercy
Westwood Church
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Greetings Westwood Community,
The last few weeks have been quite busy for me! Gabi, Isaiah and I recently returned from an amazing vacation in Ireland. For religious studies and theology nerds like myself, Ireland is a bit of a pilgrimage because the country is dotted with a multitude of important religious artifacts. I returned home only to have to leave again a few days later to fly to Ohio where I am co-leading 18 clergy and ministry leaders through a pilgrimage of a different sort, one that is aimed at helping preserve and promote a bold vision of what Christian ministry should look like in our current social and political moment.
My colleague Dr. Seth Schoen and I are leading a 3-year project entitled Cultivating Racial Resilience. In partnership with Methodist Theological School in Ohio, I was invited to lead a 1 million dollar grant funded by the Lilly Endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow initiative aimed at cultivating anti-racism and developing new ministry leaders whose understanding of ministry would be grounded in an anti-oppressive vision of Christianity. Given the rise of White Christian Nationalism in America, Seth and I felt called to do more than just critique this terrible theology, we wanted to cast a vision for an alternative that could appeal to those who might feel lured towards a nationalist Christianity.
Racial Resilience is an intensive anti-racism training method that helps individuals develop an anti-racist conscience and act as change agents within their institutions to help them develop an anti-racist ethos. Dr. Schoen and I have developed a unique approach utilizes compassion-based contemplative practices as the foundational lens through which we interpret the impact that racialization has on our bodies and worldview. From this foundation, we teach participants key critical race theories so that they can authentically and sustainably create and implement an anti-racist project within their communities.
The first cohort of participants includes 18 ministry leaders, many of whom are the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion officers for their respective denominational region. While I am excited to give them this opportunity to come together and learn, what I am most grateful for is that they have the opportunity to get to know others who are trying to create a more holy and just world because this type of ministry can feel deeply lonely. This first cohort of participants will be visiting Westwood UMC the week of May 18th, and I hope that you have the opportunity to meet them and learn about the amazing work they are already doing. I invite you to please keep this group in your prayers as they continue their pilgrimage.
In Love & Solidarity
Rev. Dr. Carter
Dear Westwood Community,
Last month, our Church Council started a process aimed at helping clarify and articulate the vision and mission of our church; this will be a significant part of the work of the Council this year. Already after our first conversation, some common themes resonated with many of our leaders: values like radical welcome, inclusivity, and diversity. We are proud of the ways these qualities are embodied in how we live, and evident throughout our shared life. They’re common to our children’s ministry and Grapple, in the Loft and in the Sanctuary congregations.